Deep submergence missile launching vehicle with hovering and missile ejecting systems



LEHMANN eos-Sheet 1 ISSILE LAUNCHING VEHICLE MISSILE EJECTING SYSTEMS 5 She Jan. 3, 1967 I G. W. DEEP SUBMERGENCE M ITH HOVERING AND Filed Jan. 25, l

INVENTOR. GUE/VTHER W. LEHMA/V/V l''/ 1 4 M (j.

l ATTYS- 1967 G. w. LEHMANN 3,295,411

DEEP SUBMERGENCE MISSILE LAUNCHING VEHICLE WITH HOVERING AND MISSILE EJECTING SYSTEMS Filed Jan. 25, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet? INVENTOR.

6 GUENTHER 'W. LEHMANN BY I V l/ 1967 G. w. LEHMANN 3,295,411

DEEP SUBMERGENCE MISSILE LAUNCHING VEHICLE WITH HOVERING AND MISSILE EJECTING SYSTEMS Filed Jan. 25, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 'I'Illllllllflllll' HO H0 I05 I05 I07 I07 INVENTOR.

GUENTHER W. LEHMANN F165. BY

United States Patent 3,295,411 DEEP SUBMERGENiIE MISSILE LAUNCHHNG VE- HECLE WlTH HGVERING AND MISSILE EJECT- ING SYSTEMS Guenther W. Lehmann, Sunnyvale, Calif., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Jan. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 427,992 13 Claims. (Cl. 891.81il) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to the launching of missiles from under water, and more particularly to a deep submergence missile launching vehicle capable of prolonged hovering at a predetermined depth, propelling itself and a missile toward the water surface, and ejecting the missile from the vehicle for assumption by the missile of its independent course of travel.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide a novel deep submergence missile carrying vehicle which may be released from a submarine at or near a predetermined depth or released from a surface vessel or aircraft for sinking to such depth at which the vehicle hovers until actuated to blow water from ballast tanks to create a substantial predetermined positive buoyancy in the vehicle for propelling the vehicle and missile to the surface where the missile is pneumatically ejected from the vehicle for firing.

It is another object of the invention to provide a deep submergence missile carrying vehicle of the foregoing character comprising improved hovering, buoyancy propulsion, and missile ejecting pneumatic systems which are notably reliable in performance and economical in use of compressed air or other gas.

As another object this invention aims to provide an improved submerged vehicle hovering system which is responsive to pressure changes, for example in a ballast trim tank communicating with the ambient water, to automatically effect adjustments of ballast to provide positive or negative buoyancy as necessary to overcome upward and downward movement of the vehicle from a selected predetermined hovering depth under the influence of prevailing water currents, thermal gradients and the like, whereby the vehicle can hover at the predetermined depth for a prolonged time period prior to beginning of a propulsive ascent.

It is another object of the invention to provide in a deep submergence vehicle a novel and improved, pressurized air operated, hovering system of the foregoing character comprising means for effecting one or more automatically instituted emergency measures for countering uncontrolled sinking, for preventing intrusion of water into air supply flasks during initial deep diving or when the vehicle is driven substantially below or above assigned depth, and for replenishing air pressure to trimming air supply flask means.

As another object this invention aims to provide a deep submergence missile carrying and launching vehicle which protectively houses a missile when submerged and comprises a novel and improved combined pressurized air system for effecting buoyancy propulsion of the vehicle and for ejecting the missile therefrom.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a missile carrying deep submergence vehicle of the foregoing character wherein the ejection system is responsive to emergence of the leading portion of the vehicle from the water to effect opening of watertight closure means, and wherein the ejection system is responsive to opening of the closure means to effect pneumatic ejec- 'ice tion of the missile from the vehicle for independent travel, thereby assuring proper sequence of such operations.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof read in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a deep submergence missile launching vehicle embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale and taken from within circle 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the vehicle of FIG. 1 taken substantially along line 3-3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 1 but showing additional parts in section, and with some portions broken out; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from within the circle 6 of FIG. 5.

In the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings and described hereinafter, there is provided a deep submergence missile carrying and launching vehicle which is generally indicated at 10 in FIG. 1. The Vehicle 10 comprises abody shell having a cylindrical portion 11 which is closed at the lower end by a hemispherical portion 12. The upper end 11a of the cylindrical portion 11 of the body shell is tapered inwardly and is closed by a plurality of closure members 13. The closure members 13 are pivotally secured at their lower edges by hinges 14 to the body shell for movement to open positions one of which is indicated in dot and dash lines in FIG. 1.

concentrically disposed within the body shell cylindrical portion 11 is a cylindrical tube 15 which serves as a receptacle for a rocket missile 18 to be carried and launched by the vehicle 10. When loaded into the vehicle 10 the missile 18 rests on an end wall 16 of tube 15, and the missile head 18a is enclosed by the closure members 13. Adapter rings 19 center the missile 18 within the tube 15 and, in this example, remain with the tube upon ejection of the missile, although it will be understood that they may be carried away by the missile in other embodiment.

As is best illustrated in FIG. 2, the hinges 14 of the closure members 13 and the upper edges of the tapered shell portion 11a are provided with inwardly projecting flanges 20, 21 presenting resilient, ribbed sealing surfaces which cooperate to effect a watertight seal when the closure members are in their full line positions. Of course, additional sealing means (not shown) which may take the form of resilient mating edges or any other suitable means are provided between the other mating edges 13a of the closure members.

The closure members 13 are held in their full line, watertight positions, after loading of a missile 18 into the vehicle 10, by explosively releasable securing means generally indicated at 25. The securing means 25, best illustrated in FIG. 4, comprises a frangible ring 26 which encompasses an accurate downturned lip 27 of each of the closure members 13 and clamps the lips into a circular form. A hollow, frusto-conical element 28 having a cover member 28a threadedly secured to its top is disposed within the frangible ring 26 and lips 27. The element 28 accommodates an electrical battery 32 and a switch 33 connected by wires 34 to a plurality of detonators 35 for explosive charges 36 arranged in the annular space between the element 28 and the lips 27.

Slidably supported by the cover member 28a of the frusto-conical element 28 is an axially movable switch rod 37 which is biased outwardly of the element 28 by a compression spring 38 disposed between the cover 28a and a mushroom shaped plate 39 mounted at the outer end of the rod. The inner end of the rod 37 is operatively engageable with the switch 33 which is actuable to fire the detonators 35 upon outward movement of the rod 37 under the influence of spring 38. The operation of the releasable securing means 25 will later be described in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 1, the cylindrical portion 11 of the body shell and the tube 15 define therebetween a space which is divided into an upper, buoyancy propulsion tank 45 and a lower, main balast tank 46. Disposed in the hemispherical portion 12 of the body shell, and below the end wall 16 of tube 15 is a ballast trim tank 48 forming part of the vehicle hovering system. The trim tank 48 is of generally hourglass configuration having an enlarged upper portion 48a separated by a narrow throat portion from an enlarged lower portion 4% having its bottom open to the ambient Water.

When the tanks 45 and 46 are full and the trim tank 48 contains water to a level L (see FIG. in the throat portion thereof, the vehicle (with a missile 18 therein) is in a neutral buoyancy condition. With all of the tanks 45, 46 and 48 full of water, the missile carrying vehicle 10 has a negative buoyancy condition which causes it to sink readily toward a predetermined hovering depth at which. the water level in the trim tank 48 will be adjusted by the hovering system as necessary to cause the vehicle to seek and maintain the hovering depth. When the buoyancy propulsion tank 45 is empty of water, even though the main ballast tank 46 and trim tank 48 be full, the vehicle has a substantial positive buoyancy condition which will propel the missile carrying vehicle from its submerged state toward the surface so as to achieve a predetermined velocity upon reaching the surface where the closure members 13 will be opened and the missile 18 ejected for firing in a manner which will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 the hovering system comprises, in addition to the trim tank 48, a bank of trimming air supply flasks 50 and a bank of trimming air receiv ing flasks 51 clustered about the upper portion 48a of the trimming tank. The trimming air supply flasks 50', which are normally charged to an air pressure of approximately twice the water pressure at the assigned hovering depth, are connected by a pipe 54 to a pressure responsive trimming air control valve 55 mounted on the upper portion 48a of the trimnn'ng tank. The control valve 55 is in turn connected through a pipe 56 to the trimming air receiving flasks 51.

The control valve 55 comprises a valve body 60 having a cylindrical bore 61. which opens into the upper portion 48a of the trim tank. The valve body is provided with an inlet port 62 communicating through pipe 54 to the supply flasks 50, and is provided with an outlet port 63 offset axially from port 62 and connected to the receiving flasks 51 by pipe 56. A valve member 65 is slidably disposed in the bore 61 against a compression spring 66 confined in the upper portion of the valve body 60 by an adjustable plug 60a. The valve member 65 normally closes the ports 62, 63 and has an annular groove 67 which communicates through a passage 68 to the portion of bore 61. opening into the trim tank 48.

The spring 66 is so selected, and plug 6% so adjusted that when the vehicle 10 is at its assigned hovering depth, the air pressure in the upper portion 48a of the trim tank will act upwardly on the valve member 65 with a force which balances the force exerted by spring 66 when the valve member is in its illustrated position closing both ports 62 and 63.

In the event the vehicle 10 is driven deeper than its assigned depth, for example under the influence of prevailing water currents, the increased pressure of ambient water at the greater depth will be transmitted through the water in the trim tank 48 to the air in the upper portion 48a thereof. This increase in air pressure will move the valve member upwardly against the resistance of spring 66, bringing groove 67 into registration with the inlet port 62, thereby admitting air from flasks 50 into the trim tank at a pressure sufficient to lower the level of the water therein toward a new level L This displacement of water from the trim tank 43 produces an increase in buoyancy which overcomes the forces deflecting the vehicle 10 from its assigned depth and causes it to rise toward that depth. As the vehicle rises the decreasing ambient water pressure and accompanying decreasing air pressure in the trim tank 48 will permit the valve mem ber 65 to be moved downwardly by spring 66. This movement of the valve member 65 closes the inlet port 62 and opens the outlet port 63 to the receiving flasks 51, thereby venting air from the trim tank and allowing the water therein to rise so as to decrease the excess buoyancy of the vehicle as it approaches the assigned depth.

Similarly, if the vehicle is displaced upwardly from its assigned depth, a decrease in ambient water pressure is transmitted through the water in the trim tank 48 to the air therein, permitting the valve member 65 to be moved downwardly by the spring 66 so as to vent air from the trim tank through port 63 to the receiving flasks 51. As a result, the water in tank 48 rises toward a new level L,,, thereby producing negative buoyancy which tends to overcome the upward displacement of the vehicle 10 and to accelerate it downwardly toward its assigned depth. As the vehicle descends to the assigned depth, increasing water pressure acts through the air in tank 48 to operate valve member 65 to admit air from flasks 50 into tank 48 so as to lower the water level therein and decrease the negative buoyancy.

Because there is always a time lag between the corrective response of the hovering system to displacement and acceleration of the vehicle toward its assigned depth, there is an asymptotic dynamic adjustment toward a neutral position at the assigned depth after disturbing forces have brought the system out of static equilibrium. That is to say, the hovering system will cause the vehicle to seek to maintain a desired hovering depth at which the buoyancy will be neutral.

It will be noted that the hourglass configuration of the trim tank 48 will result in greater changes of buoyancy and pressure differential, and thus, stronger corrective impulses with each increment of deflection when the vehicle is farther from its assigned depth. When the vehicle is operating at or near its assigned depth, the changes of water level in the trim tank 48 will occur in the less flared portion of the throat thereof between the upper and lower enlarged portions, thereby providing relatively small pressure differentials causing corrective changes in buoyancy.

In order to conserve air, the hovering system comprises (as is illustrated in FIG. 3) an electrically powered air compressor connected by pipes 71 and 72 between the trimming air receiving flasks 51 and the trimming air supply flasks 50. The compressor is powered by a battery or fuel cell '75 of annular configuration and conveniently disposed around the upper portion of valve body 69, and is controlled by suitable pressure responsive switch means (not shown) to commence pumping when the pressure differential between the flasks 51 and 50 drops to a predetermined value, and to cease pumping when a predetermined higher differential is attained.

In the event the vehicle 10 is driven downward from its hovering depth to such an extent that all of the water is expelled from the trim tank 43, further descent will cause air to escape from the open bottom portion 48b of the trim tank and be lost to the system.

In order to prevent the flasks 50 from thereby becoming so depleted as to be unable to continue the hovering process, the flasks 50 are connected by pipes 77, 78, and a diflerential pressure valve 79 to main air supply flasks 80 which are interconnected and conveniently nested around the throat of the trim tank 48. The valve 79 is responsive to pressure drop in the flasks 50 to pass air thereto from the main flasks 80 until the pressure reaches a predetermined value above the ambient water pressure.

As a further emergency measure, the invention contemplates the inclusion of means to prevent intrusion of water into the receiving flasks 51 in the event the vehicle is driven upwardly from its hovering depth sufficiently to effect venting of all of the air from the upper portion of the trim tank 48. To this end there is provided a float valve 85 which is guided by a suitable cage 86 for vertical movement into and out of seating engagement with the lower end of the valve body 60. Thus, if the hovering system vents all or most of the air from the trim tank in an effort to halt upward displacement of the vehicle from its hovering depth, the rising water in the trim tank floats the valve 85 into seated position against the open end of the valve body 60, thereby preventing intrusion of the water into the receiving flasks 51. Of course, when air is pulsed into the trim tank from flasks 50, the valve 85 will be blown away from its seat by incoming air and will follow the receding level of water in the trim tank.

After the vehicle has assumed a relatively stable hovering condition at its assigned depth, and upon a suitable time or acoustic signal, the ballast water in the buoyancy propulsion tank 45 is discharged under air pressure from the main flasks 80 so as to provide a substantial positive buoyancy in the upper portion of the vehicle which will accelerate it rapidly toward the surface in spite of flooding of the trim tank 43 in an effort to stop upward movement. To this end the main air supply flasks 80 are connected by means of a control valve 90 and piping 91 to the upper or buoyancy propulsion tank 45. The control valve 90 may be time controlled or may be responsive to an acoustic signal or any other suitable signal to effect passage of air to the tank 45. The manner of effecting time or acoustic control of valves such as valve 90 is well known to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains and need not be further described here.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 1, the lower portion of the tank 45 is connected by downcomer pipes 92 to chambers 93 which form part of ejection valve devices 94. Each of the chambers 93 is connected through a pressure differential valve 95 to a vent passage 96 leading downwardly and outwardly to the ambient water. In the present example eight such vent passages 96 are distributed in a circumferential pattern as seen in FIG. 3.

The pressure differential valves 95 which may conveniently be of the type described in US. Patent No. 3,080,844, serve to maintain in the tank 45 pressures which exceed the ambient pressures by a predetermined amount throughout the ascent of the vehicle 10. Accordingly, at the time the vehicle 10 reaches the water surface there will be retained in tank 45 by valves 95 a predetermined air pressure. The air pressure so retained in the tank 4-5 is utilized to pneumatically eject the missile 13 from the vehicle 10 after the vehicle has emerged from the water and the closure members 13 have opened as will be further described hereinafter.

The chambers 93 are further connected to the ambient water by means of restricted bleed passages 97. The purpose of the bleed passages 97 is to assure that the tank 47 is always a somewhat soft tank, that is to say has some communication with ambient pressures. This permits the use of a shell 11 which is of relatively light construction and better able to withstand internal rather than external pressures. Accordingly, during relatively slow movements such as the descent to and maintainance of the hovering position, the interior pressure of tank 45 is equalized with the water pressure through the bleed passages 97. During the relatively rapid ascent however, the restricted bleed passages 97 allow only negligible loss of pressurized air from the tank 45, so that the remaining air may be used for ejecting the missile 18 after emergence of the vehicle through the water surface and opening of the closure members 13.

The aforedescribed releasable securing means 25 assures that the closure members 13 do not open until after they emerge from the water. Thus, the mushroom shaped plate 39 and rod 37 are held inwardly by the impact of water on the plate as the vehicle 10 rises rapidly from the hovering position to the surface. When the plate 39 emerges from the influence of the water, the spring 38 moves the rod 37 outwardly, closing switch 33 and detonating the charges 36. The explosive force of the charges 35 breaks the frangible ring 26, blows the frustoconical element 28 clear of the vehicle, and flings the closure members 13 outwardly about their hinges 14 to their positions ready for ejection of the missile 18 from the vehicle by a compressed air ejection system which utilizes the pressurized air retained in the buoyancy propulsion tank 45 by pressure differential valves 95.

The ejection system comprises a plurality of upward flaring conduits clustered below the missile receiving tube 15 and opening through the end wall 16 thereof. The conduits 100 ar fluidly coupled to the chambers 93, and flow of air from the tank 45 through pipes 92 and the chambers 93 into the conduits 100 being controlled by normally closed ejection valve members 102. The ejection valve members 102 are each carried by a rod 103, the inner end of which is slidably mounted in a guide bore 104, and the outer end of which is secured to a piston 105 defining one wall of the respective chamber 93.

The pistons 105 have effective areas greater than the effective areas of the valve members 102 associated therewith, and are movable in cylinders 106 having closed end walls 107. The valve members 102 normally are hydraulically held closed by liquid in the cylinders 106 acting on the pistons 105. The left hand valve 102 as viewed in FIG. 5 is shown in such a closed condition. The hydraulic liquid, which may be oil or water, is confined in the cylinders 106, and in vertical pipes 110 leading therefrom, by missile ejection triggering valves 112 disposed adjacent the hinges 14 of the closure members 13.

Each of the triggering valves 112, best illustrated in FIG. 6, comprises a valve body 113 having a lower bore 114 connected to one of the pipes 110, and communicating through a passage 115 with an upper bore 116. The upper bore 116 contains a piston 117 loaded by a compression springs 118 retained by an apertured cap 119 so as to impart a predetermined pressure to hydraulic fluid in bore 116.

The valve bodies 113 are each provided with a transverse bore 120 intersecting the bore 114 and passage 115 between the pipe 110 and bore 116. A plunger 121 is slideable in the bore 120 and has one end 121a projecting through an opening in the body shell 11. The other end of the plunger is acted upon by a compression spring 122 disposed between spring cups 123 and 124 and biasing the plunger outwardly of the body shell to a position limited by engagement of the spring cup 123 with the valve body.

The plunger 121 of each triggering valve 112 has an annular groove 125 normally disposed in alignment with the passage 115 so that hydraulic pressure imparted by the piston 117 biased by a spring 112 is communicated by pipe 110 to the associated cylinder 106 and acts on the piston 105 thereof to hold the ejection valve 102 closed. The plunger 121 further has a radially extending port 126 leading to an axial passage 127 which terminates at the end of the plunger acted upon by spring 122 communicating with a radial port 127.

The locations of the valves 112 are such that the plung ers 121 are engageable by the closure members 13 when the latter are driven to their open positions by the explosive forces of the charges 36 upon emergence of the vehicle 10 from the water surface. The plungers 121 are moved inwardly by such engagement against the force of springs 122 to positions in which the ports 126 register with the bores 114 of the valves 112. Hydraulic fluid in the pipes 110 is thereby released from confinement through the ports 126 and axial passages 127, so as to relieve hydraulic pressure on the pistons 105 in cylinders 106.

Because the pistons 105 are of larger effective diameter than the valve members 102, the air pressure in chambers 93 acting on the pistons is effective to move the pistons to retract the valve members from their seated positions to open positions such as that occupied by the right hand valve 102 in FIG. 5. Opening of the valve members 102 releases air from the buoyancy propulsion tank 45 through conduits 100 into the tube 15 below the missle 18, thereby pneumatically ejecting the missile from the vehicle 10. In order to prevent the pistons 105 from being pulled inwardly upon rush of air past the opened valve members 102, there is provided in each of the guide bores 104 a snap ring 130 which is retained in an annular groove in the bore. As the end of the rods 103 move outwardly of the snap rings 130 the snap rings contract sufliciently to prevent the rods from being returned to the positions in which the valve members 102 would be closed.

Preferably the pipes 110 between the trigger valves 112 and the cylinders 106 are interconnected by a ringshaped pipeline 135 so that all of the ejection controlling valve members 102 will be opened simultaneously irrespective of slight variations in time of actuation of the plungers 121, or of the event of failure of one or more of the trigger valves to be operated.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be appreciated that there has been provided an improved deep submergence missile carrying and launching vehicle which, by reason of its novel constructions and arrangements of parts, has achieved the previously stated objects and advantages as well as others apparent from this description. Obviously many modifications, variations and uses of the present invention are possible in the light of the "above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is: 1. In a submersible vehicle, a hovering system comprisrng:

ballast trimming tank means, the bottom of which is open for communication with ambient water, said tank means being adapted to provide zero buoyancy in said vehicle when water is at a predetermined level in said tank means; valve means responsive to pressures at depths deeper than "a predetermined hovering depth to connect said tank means to a source of air at a pressure substantially above the water pressure at said predetermined hovering depth so as to displace water from said tank means for increasing buoyancy of said vehicle;

means providing a zone of low pressure connected to said valve means;

said valve means being responsive to pressures at lesser depths than said predetermined hovering depth to connect said tank means to said zone of low pressure substantially tless than said water pressure at said predetermined hovering depth so as to admit water to said tank means for decreasing buoyancy of said vehicle; and

said valve means being operative in response to said water pressure at predetermined hovering depth to interrupt connection of said tank means to both said source of air and said zone of low pressure with water in said tank means at said predetermined level said air being in direct contact with said water in said ballast trimming tank means, said trimming tank means comprises an upper tank portion and a lower tank portion, said tank portions being connected by a relatively narrow throat portion, whereby changes in water level in said upper and lower tank portions eflect greater changes in ballast than do changes of ater level in said throat portion.

2. In a submersible vehicle, a hovering system as defined in claim 1 wherein said valve means comprises a valve body, a valve member movable in said body between first and second positions for connecting said tank means to said source of air and said low pressure zone respectively, said valve member having an intermediate position between said first and second positions for interrupting connection of said tank to both said source of air and said zone of low pressure, said valve member being urged toward said first position by pressures within said tank means, spring means urging said valve member toward said second position, and said spring and pressure within said tank means exerting balanced forces on said valve member when the latter is in its intermediate position and said pressure within said tank means cor-responds to the water pressure at said predetermined hovering depth.

3. In a submersible vehicle, a hovering system comprising:

ballast trimming tank means, the bottom of which is open for communication with ambient water, said tank means being adapted to provide zero buoyancy in said vehicle when water is at a predetermined level in said tank means;

valve means responsive to pressures at depths deeper than a predetermined hovering depth to connect said tank means to a source of air at a pressure substantially above the water pressure at said predetermined hovering depth so as to displace water from said tank means for increasing buoyancy of said vehicle;

means providing a zone of low pressure connected to said valve means;

said valve means being responsive to pressures at lesser depths than said predetermined hovering depth to connect said tank means to said zone of low pressure substantially less than said water pressure at said predetermined hovering depth so as to admit water to said tank means for decreasing buoyancy of said vehicle; and

said valve means being operative in response to said water pressure at predetermined hovering depth to interrupt connection of said tank means to both said source of air and said zone of low pressure with water in said tank means at said predetermined level, said air being in direct contact with said water in said ballast trimming tank means;

said source of air comprises pressurized first flask means and said zone of low pressure is defined by second flask means, and comprising compressor means connected between said first and second flask means and responsive to reduction in pressure differential therebetween to pump air from said second flask means to said first flask means.

4. In a submersible vehicle, a hovering system as defined in claim 3 wherein said valve means comprises a valve body, a valve member movable in said body between first and second positions for connecting said tank means to said source of air and said low pressure zone respectively, said valve member having an intermediate position between said first and second positions :for interrupting connection of said tank to both said source of air and said zone of low pressure, said valve member being urged toward said first position by pressures within said tank means, spring means urging said valve member toward said second position, and said spring and pressure within said tank means exerting balanced forces on said valve member when the latter is in its intermediate position and said pressure within said tank means corresponds to the water pressure at said predetermined hovering depth.

5. In a submersible vehicle, a hovering system comprisballast trimming tank means, the bottom of which is open for communication with ambient water, said tank means being adapted to provide zero buoyancy in said vehicle when water is at a predetermined level in said tank means;

valve means responsive to pressures at depths deeper than a predetermined hovering depth to connect said tank means to a source of air at a pressure substantially above the water pressure at said predeter mined hovering depth so as to displace water from said tank means for increasing buoyancy of said vehicle;

means providing a zone of low pressure connected to said valve means;

said valve means being responsive to pressures at lesser depths than said predetermined hovering depth to connect said tank means to said zone of low pressure substantially less than said water pressure "at said predetermined hovering depth so as to admit water to said tank means for decreasing buoyancy of said vehicle; and

said valve means being operative in response to said water pressure at predetermined hovering depth to interrupt connection of said tank means to both said source of air and said zone of low pressure with water in said tank means at said predetermined level;

said tank means is provided with an outlet at the upper portion thereof for venting of air from said tank means to said zone of low pressure, a float valve member disposed in said tank means, guide means for confining movement of said float valve member to and from closing relation with said outlet, said float valve member being movable into said closing relation by water rising in said tank means to a predetermined level, whereby water is prevented from intruding into said zone of low pressure irrespective of flooding of said tank means by venting of air to said zone of low pressure by said valve means in response to pressure less than the water pressure at said predetermined depth.

6. A deep submergence missile carrying vehicle comprising:

a body defining a receptacle for a missile;

receptacle closure means movable between closed and open positions; means for holding said closure means in closed relation to said receptacle during submergence and operative to move said closure means to said open positions in response to emergence from the water;

said body defining a buoyancy propulsion tank;

means for introducing pressurized air into said tank to blow water therefrom through a vent passage to increase the vehicle buoyancy and effect ascent thereof; pressure differential valve means disposed in said vent passage and operative to maintain a predetermined air pressure in said tank over the pressure of ambient Water as the vehicle ascends; and

valve means actuable by movement of said closure means to said open positions to direct pressurized air from said tank into said receptacle for pneumatically ejecting said missile therefrom.

7. A deep submergence missile carrying vehicle as defined in claim 6 and wherein said valve means actuable by movement of said closure means comprises:

an ejection valve means including a valve member for controlling air flow from said propulsion tank to said receptacle, said valve member being urged toward an open position by air pressure in said propulsion tank;

hydraulic means connected to said valve member for holding said valve member closed under hydraulic pressure; and

trigger valve means operable to release said hydraulic pressure and allow said valve member to be moved to said open position.

8. A deep submergence missile carrying vehicle comprising:

a body defining a receptacle for a missile;

receptacle closure means movable between closed and open positions;

releasable securing means for holding said closure means in closed relation to said receptacle during submergence, and operative to move said closure means to said open positions in response to emergence from the water;

a hovering system comprising a buoyancy trim tank, first valve means responsive to increases in pressure above the water pressure at a predetermined hovering depth to connect said trim tank to a source of air at a pressure substantially above said water pressure to effect discharge of water from said trim tank, said first valve means being responsive to decreases in pressure below said water pressure at said predetermined hovering depth to connect said trim tank to a zone of low pressure substantially less than said water pressure at said predetermined hovering depth so as to vent air from water to enter said trim tank, said first valve means being operative in response to said water pressure at said predetermined hovering depth to interrupt connection of said trim tank to both said source of air and said zone of low pressure;

said body defining a buoyancy propulsion tank;

means for introducing pressurized air into said tank to below water therefrom through a vent passage to increase the vehicle buoyancy sufficiently to cause said vehicle to ascend from said hovering depth irrespective of operation of said hovering means;

pressure differential valve means disposed in said vent passage and operative to maintain a predetermined air pressure in said tank over the pressure of ambient water as the vehicle ascends; and

valve means actuable by movement of said closure means to said open positions to direct pressurized air from said propulsion tank into said receptacle for pneumatic ejection of the missile therefrom.

9. A deep submergence missile carrying vehicle as defined in claim 8 and wherein said valve means actuable by movement of said closure means comprises:

an ejection valve means for controlling air flow from said propulsion tank to said receptacle, said ejection valve means being urged toward an open position by air pressure in said propulsion tank;

hydraulic means connected to said ejection valve means for holding said ejection valve means closed under hydraulic pressure; and

trigger valve means operable to release said hydraulic pressure and allow said ejection valve means to be moved to said open position.

10. A deep submergence missile carrying vehicle as defined in claim 8 wherein said source of air comprises pressurized first flask means and said zone of low pressure is defined by second flask means, and comprising compressor means connected between said first and second flask means and responsive to reduction in pressure differential therebetween to pump air from said second flask means to said first flask means.

11. A deep submergence missile carrying vehicle as defined in claim 8 wherein said first valve means comprises a valve body, a valve member movable in said body between first and second positions for connecting said tank to said source of air and said low pressure zone respectively, said valve member having an intermediate position between said first and second positions for interrupting connection of said tank to both said source of air and said zone of low pressure, said valve member being urged toward said first position by pressures within said tank, spring means urging said valve member toward said second position, and said spring and pressure within said tank exerting balanced forces on said valve member when the latter is in its intermediate position and said pressure within said tank corresponds to the water pressure at said predetermined hovering depth.

12. A deep submergence missile carrying vehicle as defined in claim 8 wherein said tank is provided with an outlet at the upper portion thereof for venting of air from said tank to said zone of low pressure, a float valve member disposed in said tank, guide means for confining movement of said float valve member to and from closing relation which said outlet, said float valve member being movable into said closing relation by water rising in said tank to a predetermined level, whereby Water is prevented from intruding into said zone of low pressure irrespective of flooding of said tank by venting of air to said zone of low pressure by said valve means in response to pressure less than the water pressure at said predetermined depth.

13. A deep submergence missile carrying vehicle as defined in claim 12 and wherein said valve means actuable by movement of said closure means comprises:

an ejection valve means for controlling air flow from 20 said propulsion tank to said receptacle, said ejection References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS M'acdonough 10214 X Hammond 102-14 Atchley 10214 Brown 891.7 Feiler 891.7 Shear et al 102,l4 X

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Examiner. 

1. IN A SUBMERSIBLE VEHICLE, A HOVERING SYSTEM COMPRISING: BALLAST TRIMMING TANK MEANS, THE BOTTOM OF WHICH IS OPEN FOR COMMUNICATION WITH AMBIENT WATER, SAID TANK MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO PROVIDE ZERO BUOYANCY IN SAID VEHICLE WHEN WATER IS AT A PREDETERMINED LEVEL IN SAID TANK MEANS; VALVE MEANS RESPONSIVE TO PRESSURES AT DEPTHS DEEPER THAN A PREDETERMINED HOVERING DEPTH TO CONNECT SAID TANK MEANS TO A SOURCE OF AIR AT A PRESSURE SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE WATER PRESSURE AT SAID PREDETERMINED HOVERING DEPTH SO AS TO DISPLACE WATER FROM SAID TANK MEANS FOR INCREASING BUOYANCY OF SAID VEHICLE; MEANS PROVIDING A ZONE OF LOW PRESSURE CONNECTED TO SAID VALVE MEANS; SAID VALVE MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO PRESSURES AT LESSER DEPTHS THAN SAID PREDETERMINED HOVERING DEPTH TO CONNECT SAID TANK MEANS TO SAID ZONE OF LOW PRESSURE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN SAID WATER PRESSURE AT SAID PREDETERMINED HOVERING DEPTH SO AS TO ADMIT WATER TO SAID TANK MEANS FOR DECREASING BUOYANCY OF SAID VEHICLE; AND 